Planning for a Storm – The Best Way to Minimize Storm Damage

storm damage roof repair

Planning for a storm is essential to protect your home against the damage that high winds, heavy rain and hail can potentially cause to your assets. While there is no guarantee that the following measures will entirely save your property, they can considerably improve your home’s storm resistance and they can make sure your household will be much safer as well.

Prepare the House Interior

If the forecast says an extreme storm is approaching your area, try to evaluate your interior space in terms of safety. Move valuables away from the windows, pick the safest room (possibly a room that has no windows) and gather food supplies, water, medical supplies, important documents, such as driving licenses, insurance policies credit cards, clothes and bedding into that room. Unplug any unnecessary appliances to avoid fire hazards, turn your fridge to the lowest cooling setting and remove any antennas from the roof. Prepare for a power cut too – gather torches and battery-operated lamps into the safe room and charge the batteries of your cell phones and laptops before the storm comes to be sure that your communication devices stay functional during and after the storm.

Prepare the Exterior and the Landscape

Check the exterior of your home, too and move any outdoor furniture inside, into the house or into the garage. Strengthen the exterior of your home as much as you can – here is how:

  • Fasten any loose boards or railings on the deck or on the patio;
  • Check the areas around the windows and the doors and seal any cracks that you find with caulk;
  • Install weather-resistant blinds on the windows or protect them with wooden boards;
  • Check the roof for any loose or damaged components, such as cracked tiles, damaged flashing or buckling shingles and replace them with strong, new components;
  • Do the same with the siding panels on the building, too – very strong winds can rip off improperly fixed siding and cause extensive damage to your walls;

The landscape also needs to be protected:

  • Check your shrubs and trees for dead twigs and branches and prune them to leave only healthy and strong branches;
  • Deadhead your flowers as well;
  • Check the pathways and the driveways in your yard and in your garden as well – repair any cracks or holes in the asphalt and fix the problems that you find in areas covered in gravel to prevent any damage caused by high winds and large amounts of water.

Other Prevention Measures

Move your car to a sheltered place – it can be your garage or, if you don’t have one, it can be a place away from any tall trees or under a shed. Protect your pets and household animals as well – move them inside the house or to a solid and sheltered place such as the garage.

Planning for a storm requires you to adopt a strategic approach and it also takes some time, so if you live in a storm-prone area, listen to the local weather forecast regularly and try to find out about approaching storms in time.

Despite all your efforts, sometimes your home or business may take a hit, and be damaged. If this happens, count on roofing Livonia MI contractors to service your roof with integrity and skill.